McKenzie Coan

Hi, I’m McKenzie!

I’m a four-time Paralympian, seven-time Paralympic Medalist, ten-time World Champion, and two-time World Record Holder in Paralympic Swimming.

At 19 days old I was diagnosed with a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, otherwise known as brittle bone disease. This condition causes my bones to break easily, and as a result of this diagnosis, doctors said that I would never walk, sit upright, talk, and maybe not live past infancy. However, my and my family’s determination has led me to live a life not dictated by limits or people’s expectations. I never kept count along the way, but we guesstimate I’ve broken over a hundred bones in my lifetime, and through each fracture, I’ve become a better version of myself and a better athlete.

My swimming career began in the form of aqua therapy when I was about four years old. I immediately noticed this sense of freedom in the water, something I had never experienced on land. The water gave me the confidence to embrace who I was and led me to join the local swim team. Right away, I loved competitive swimming, particularly the rush of competing. I still love proving people wrong when I roll up behind the blocks in my wheelchair to compete, showing them what is possible despite my physical differences.

I was eight years old when I discovered the Paralympics. Seeing athletes who looked like me with different abilities winning gold medals for their country was empowering and motivated me to do the same thing. I took that motivation into every practice and competition, working hard and making my first Paralympic Team at just 16 years old with the London 2012 Games. I made the final of the 400m Freestyle, coming out sixth overall. London was incredible, but I knew I wanted to be on the podium come 2016. I worked hard, started my NCAA career as a Division 1 athlete at Loyola University Maryland, and qualified for the Rio 2016 Games to swim in five individual events and a relay. I went on to win four medals in Rio, including three Gold Medals. Following Rio, I continued swimming and won a Gold and Silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and just recently, I won a Silver medal at my 4th Games in Paris. 

Living with my condition and swimming for Team USA has shown me that anything is possible with the right mindset and attitude. One of the mantras I choose to live by is “the things we go through in life can either be things that happen to us or for us.” I will always see the positives in my challenges, as they have made me who I am.